High winds can cause problems in many situations on a job site, especially with cranes and scaffolds. A horrific crane collapse in downtown New York City was caught on tape after a gust of wind knocked it down in early 2016. Last week, high winds caused more problems at construction sites, as it knocked over a scaffold above a busy sidewalk and sent a suspended scaffold swinging out of control and crashing into a building.

On Sunday November 19, 2017, a scaffold, approximately 20 feet high, collapsed onto a busy lower Manhattan street, trapping two people underneath the debris. Reports state that 3 to 4 others were injured by the falling wood and metal.

While all of the injuries are considered minor and non-life threatening, there were moments of panic as others nearby rushed to free the two people trapped underneath the debris. It was a great show of springing to action that was also caught on cell phone video, which you can watch below.

On another site, a suspended scaffolding system was sent crashing into a building. That video was also caught on cell phone video, but no other details could be found. Thankfully, no employees were on the scaffold when it was crashing into the building. As a reminder, work from scaffolds is prohibited by OSHA during storms or high winds, unless the competent person determines that it is safe enough to work and the employees are protected.

Demolition by implosion videos are always fun to watch. Adding an element of water makes them even more dramatic, though it’s probably not great for the ecosystem. Late last week, a one mile long, 23 year-old bridge in China was imploded in front of a crowd of spectators and caught on camera.

As the US is experiencing our own natural disaster, by way of Hurricane Florence, China is being hit badly by a Typhoon Mangkhut. According to Independent, the storm has caused a crane, which was being used on a 22-story housing development, to crumble. That collapse was caught on camera by neighbors.

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